tilton



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WM. B. TILTON, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

GUITAR.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 14,378, dated March 4, 1856,

also adds to the strength of the instrument and improves the action of the bridge, enabling me to dispense with one-half or more of the material formerly required therefor, making it narrow and short, so as to give the utmost effect to the power of the instrument and materials employed.

The following is a description of it-s construction and operation and the difference between it and guitars in use heretofore, .reference being had to the accompanying drawing by letter.

In the ordinary guitar a very large bridge is required to sustain the strain of the strings and give space to fasten the pegs into, which hold them; it consequently covers a large portion of the soundboard and so far weakens its vibratory power, besides which the great strain brought upon the soundboard also injured its effect; to obviate this difficulty felt to be so radical I made my improvement which I patented in January 1854:. This produced a marked change on the instrument for the better and at once raised my instruments in character, but a diligent and expensive series of experiments has developed a. new and useful improvement which I now ask a patent for.

It consists in reducing the bridge a down to a minimum size simply for purpose of pressure and then connecting it by means of a plate b of metal, or other suitable maferial, that does not touch the soundboard, but lies just above it, with the rim at the end c. This tail piece is in form like that of a violin but it differs from it in this respect, it is bent down over the end and screwed immovably to the rim at its rear end while its front end is permanently affixed to the bridge before named thus uniting the bridge and rim together by a second bridge or tail piece that spans over the soundboard without touching it. The strings are attached as in the ordinary violin without the intervention of pegs.

I am aware that tail pieces have been old and well known appliances on stringed instruments and I do not lay claim to such a device; but

That I do claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is The combination of the bridge and rim of a guita-r or other stringed instrument by a tail piece firmly attached to both substantially in the manner and for the purposes set forth by which much of the strain is taken from the bridge and its size greatly reduced as above specified, by which the f tone of the instrument is improved.

IVM. B. TILTON. lVitnesses J. O. GREENOUGH, IV. PENDLETON. 

